Amazon put the pedal to the metal on its ambitions for Alexa this week, announcing new partnerships with Lamborghini and the up-and-coming electric truck maker Rivian.
Later this year, owners of these luxury whips will be able to use Alexa to turn on their seat warmers, open and close their windows, and even view what’s inside their trunks via live video feed.
Alexa was already riding in other cars…
… like BMW, Audi, Toyota, and Ford — all of which had already inked agreements with Amazon to put Alexa in their vehicles.
But this Lamborghini partnership shows that Alexa isn’t just hitching a ride with mass-market cars — she’s also interested in copiloting luxury cars.
In fact, Amazon wants to be a passenger in EVERY car
And to do it, Amazon has also developed Echo Auto, a tiny, dashboard-mounted piece of hardware that can turn even an Oldsmobile into a new, voice assistant-enabled smart car.
Since it launched in 2018, Echo Auto has given Amazon customers the ability to use Alexa to control their music, make phone calls, and use navigation services while driving.
Yesterday Amazon and Exxon Mobil announced that Alexa will soon be able to pay for gas at 11.5k Exxon and Mobil locations.
Of course, Alexa’s expansion isn’t confined to the car
Since Amazon wants Alexa to be available all the time, the company has made an effort to add Alexa to just about everything.
In fact, the number of Alexa-enabled devices doubled in the past year..
So, in addition to your car, here are some other places you might find Alexa lurking:
- Your shower (the Moxie)
- Your toilet (the Numi 2.0)
- Your mirror (the Qaio Smart Mirror)
- Your eyeglasses (the Echo Frames)
- Your shelves (the Dash Smart Shelf)